Before I came to my daughter's house I pre-cut this project. She never has time to do the prep work for making a quilt, but she can do some sewing while the baby naps. I figured I may as well cut for two quilts and have her make me one, but then I got started and made quite a few blocks for myself. I will leave hers all ready to sew when she is able. It is good to have a project to work on while away from home. It feels like stolen time sewing. This spools project is from a Black Mountain Quilts book by
Teri Christopherson. They are 9-1/2" finished and I will set them 5 x 7. Everyone who loves to sew should have a spool quilt! There are so many cute variations. I love blocks with lots of different background fabrics. This is where a good stash is really an asset. I am making 35 blocks and making two blocks each of the same background. None of the spool fabric is the same. One lady told me she hates using the same fabric in several quilts. She finds it boring. I find that odd, as I take such joy in seeing them making themselves useful. They show up different in each quilt, and always with a few newer pieces. They are like old friends! I have a dear friend who gave me some red civil war scraps and every time I use them in a quilt she is so delighted to see that they found a nice home!
On another note, Calico Cat commented on my previous blog entry that bird saliva is indeed a delicacy in China. What an amazing world we live in. People make use of everything. Do you think it now comes in a can? My grandson thinks that they probably hold birds in cages and taunt them with food til they drool. Really, it never occurred to me that birds had saliva.
I am reading Sarah's Quilt by Nancy Turner. It really isn't about a quilt, but life on the Arizona frontier in 1905. I read her previous book, These Is My Words, and it is one of my very favorites. This one is proving to be just as good. The main character, Sarah, reminds me so much of my grandmother and the stories she would tell of growing up in Alberta, Canada in a similar environment. They really faced the elements back then. I am so thankful for the strength and tenacity of my ancesters. I have often thought I would like to have lived with them, but in reality, I am not sure I would have been tough enough. So I live vicariously though these good books!
21 comments:
Great post, what a Mom...I hope every time she looks at her quilt she remembers the lengths you went to for you guys to share. I'm with you on scraps. Every piece of fabric holds a memory and I love seeing them over and over again. And it feels like free fabric when you"steal" another use for it other than the original intent. Enjoy your daughter. Wish my Mom were close to me right now.
Melanie
More info in the birds nest soup:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird's_nest_soup
I once fell in love with a spools quilt that only used stripes for the thread area... I agree with you about he backgrounds and about finding 1 fabric in 2 or 3 or more different quilts... (I do that all the time!)
Your spool blocks have a quaint and quiet charm- a whisper from the past, perhaps. Makes me think of my grandmother, too.
I agree with you about using fabric in several different quilts. It is like having an old friend visit.
What a great mother you are to cut quilts for your daughter!
I like spool quilts too and plan to make one eventually. These are cute - larger than the patterns I've seen before. I have a book from Black Mountain Quilts - I wonder if this quilt is in it? I'll have to check when I get home.
I've got a little spool wallhanging back from my early years and even a wire sewing machine hanger for it. I designed my own stencil of a spool and trailing thread and then hand quilted it into busy, busy fabric and learned a valuable lesson about that not showing up after all that work. I like yours so much better than mine, LOL
Hi Marcie, love the spools!! And I'm with you, seeing a fabric appear again in a quilt years later is something that gives me great pleasure. It is, indeed, like seeing an old friend! And one can never have too many old friends.
Great idea to cut two quilts, I know you DD will appreciate it when she gets a chance to sew. Sounds like you are having a great time here in our cooled down midwest..*VBS* Hugs, Finn
delightful blocks indeed!
what a wonderful gift to leave for DD. Do you need another daughter??? :-)
I love the spool blocks. I can be your daughter to ;-)
I really like the spool blocks. Great fabric choices. I'm up for adoption as well. :c)
p.s. bird saliva! eeeeewwwwww
I really enjoy reading your blog, and I really like your spools quilt. I am a bit shy commenting on people's blogs, but have been prompted to comment regarding bird saliva:
There is a species of birds (swallows I think) that live in caves in the mountains. Their nests are made of saliva and they are high up in the caves. People climb into the caves (with very little safety equipment) and collect the nests (this is done after the birds finish nesting). The birds' nests are made into bird's nest soup and is one of the most expensive dishes you can buy in China/Taiwan and Hong Kong
Just found your blog. How fantastic to be passing quilting on to your grandson! Your quilts are lovely -- I enjoy having a fabric show up in multiple quilts. It's like an old friend coming by to visit.
My husband just mentioned this past weekend he would like to visit Hong Kong someday ... I'll have to be on the lookout for bird saliva *s*
I like those spool blocks!
Marcie--
Glad to hear you have finally found "Sarah's Quilt". I read it a couple of years ago--did I not tell you about it? I love that woman!
I have read Sarah's Quilt too, although I have to say that 'These is my Words' remains my favourite. Love the spool blocks and hope that this comment is uploaded!
I stumbled across your blog today and am enjoying it so much. Instead of postind 5 million times about everything I'm feasting my eyes on I thought I would just post once and let you know how much I'm enjoying it! I'm going to take some more time this weekend to start from the very beginning! But I love your scrappy spools and your trees are great! I made this quilt for my husband years ago (he is a landscaper!). I wonder if I even have a picture of it anywhere!
The spool blocks are neat... and what a great way to showcase a square of your favorite fabrics!
This is going to be a great quilt too. You do good work.
I think the lady who hates using the same fabric in several quilts is probably not thinking scrap quilts. I have seen people make two or three quilts using the same fabric (I've done it too I admit), and although they use different patterns, the quilts look too similar. I think making a scrappy quilt changes that, as well as using a different background, and adding and subtracting fabric here and there.
I deliberately find fabric from another quilt to add to my new ones. Each of my quilts has at least one hand me down.
I like these spools a lot - my first quilt (second, technically) was a spool quilt, but these are so much more spooly!
I just love using a bit of fabric in several quilts... it is always a bitter sweet moment when I use the very last scrap of a favorite fabric, but then I have to remind myself that I have so much more that I can use! I've just recently starting purchasing fat quarters to give me stash a new little boost of fabric to blend with old favorites. And - I do like you spool quilt!
Cheers!
Evelyn
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